Smoked by AI · Austin · people
José R. Ralat
Critic · Journalist · Author — Tacos and Mexican food across Texas, from trailer windows to sit-down taquerias.
Listed with the critics and writers in Austin.
José R. Ralat has been Texas Monthly's taco editor since 2019, the beat that sits alongside Daniel Vaughn's barbecue desk at the same magazine. For his first ranked list of the fifty best tacos in Texas he drove about 14,000 miles in six months, visited more than four hundred taquerias and ate over 1,200 tacos, from Amarillo to Brownsville and El Paso to Texarkana. He wrote American Tacos: A History and Guide, serves on the advisory board of Foodways Texas, belongs to the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, and won James Beard awards in 2022 and 2023 for his Tex-Mexplainer column.
Their own reviews and picks.
Their own judgment, in their own words, by the piece it appeared in.
- Texas Monthly, The 25 Best New(ish) Texas Taquerias ↗their review · 2026-05-18
- Paprika ATXNorth Lamar
“The carnitas are cooked in the traditional cauldrons called cazos and have a touch of sweetness.”
- Paprika ATXNorth Lamar
- Texas Monthly ↗their review · 2024-10-21
- Cuantos TacosEast Austin
“This truck is one of the few taquerias preparing and selling legitimate Mexico City–style tacos in Texas.”
- Yellow Bell TacosNortheast Austin
“The juicy chopped lamb taco is smoky, but it doesn't mask the sweet, gamy flavors of the meat”
- Cuantos TacosEast Austin
- Texas Monthly ↗their review · 2019-10-29
- DiscadaEast Austin
“The finished product is a tiny taco packed with juicy meat that's the consistency of relish and carries pleasant peaks of saltiness and caramelization.”
- DiscadaEast Austin
Pieces they wrote about these places.
Reporting, openings and roundups. Kept for the trail, and not read as their endorsement — a writer relaying someone else's award is not recommending it.
- Texas Monthly ↗roundup · 2026-02-10
- Sana SanaDowntown
“No matter what else he makes, though, Gomez always serves his take on the taco estilo matamoros, a staple from his native Rio Grande Valley.”
- Sana SanaDowntown
- Texas Monthly ↗roundup · 2024-10-21
- DiscadaEast Austin
“Offering only one taco leaves a business no room for error. But Discada owners Anthony Pratto and Xose Velasco's creation comes out perfect every time.”
- Nixta TaqueriaEast Austin
“Cooks mix guajillo chile paste into the masa for tortillas that hold duck-fat refried beans and a blend of potato and chorizo. They cap the taco with shredded cabbage and queso enchilado, chile-rubbed cheese imported from the same region.”
- DiscadaEast Austin